Russia-Melissa+LaPort-Block+4

Melissa LaPort- Block 4

__Ural Mountains__
What is found in the Ural mountains? Oil, iron ore, Natural gas

Where is the Ural Mts located? West side of Russia

Why is it important? Creates the border between East and West Russia

__West Siberian Plain__


Where is it located? West of Siberia east of Ural Mts.

Why it is noteworthy? 1 million sq. miles. largest area of flatland

__Lake Baikal__
Where is it located? Southern Siberia

Why is it important/noteworthy? 400 mi. long, 40 mi, 1 mi deep. Deepest fresh water lake. 1/5 of world's fresh water.

__High-Latitude Regions__
//Majority of Russia// Long cold winters, Eastern russia (Siberia) has the worst conditions

__Tundra__
Vast treeless plain 10% of Russia covers everything North of the Arctic Circle.

__Subarctic__
Largest Climate region. //Taiga//- Forest belt

__Mid-Latitude Regions__
//Population, Agriculture//

__Steppe__
Black and Caspien Sea. Dry summers, long,cold, dry winters Cherozem soil - sunflowers, mint, beans

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During the time when the Soviets ruled, they promoted atheism and practically said " Down with religion!" The population has 70+ unambiguous groups. 75% of Russians live in the western part of Russia. Since 1991 even more ethnic Russians have returned to Russia. While the rest is living in Siberia. Those who claimed a religious amalgamation belonged to a Orthodox church. The majority of the Russians are Slavs. After the Slavs are the Caucasians and the Turkic people. And in the Caucasian group it has the Chechens, Dagestanis, and Ingushetians. The Russian Slavs practically own Russia's politics and culture. 2nd largest ethnic group is the Islam. Russia's population is slowing going down because of the crappy health care and low birthrate. During the time of the Soviets ruling the Soviets believed that it's the artists' job to make the Government's winnings all pretty and awesome (which is socialist realism), and those who did not follow those rule would be punished like that poor sap.... what was his name? Ah! Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn! The same guy who wrote //The Gulag Archipelago.// What made up the Soviet intelligentsia was educators, writers, artists and scientists. Back when the Soviets ruled the education was mandatory but its was free. It only focused of math, science, and engineering. Nowadays schools have a balanced education of subjects. The students can choose what type of school they want to go to. But since Russia's economy isn't doing so well the schools have limited budgets. Reasons why teachers are "leaving" (abandoning) their job low pay and lack of self-confidence. And the students rather get money than get an education. Education isn't the only one who suffering it's the Medical section too. Because of the diseases, smoking, drinking, aging population, rising infertility, and rise of infectious diseases. and terrible health care system. Reason why the health care is terrible their inefficient and the staff isn't paid enough (which means...YOU GUESSED IT... they leave their job). Most of the urban population growth in most of the industrialized cities have leveled off since 1990! Because there is not enough housing to go around most people live in apartments or with their parents. What they do for fun: attend concerts/ballets/theater, watch/play amateur/professional sports (such as tennis, track and field, ice hockey, figure skating and gymnastics). And christmas is celebrated on January 7 not December 25. Also May Day is more than a workers' holiday it's a spring festival!======

__History/Government__
//Early History// 600 A.D. - Slavs settled near waterways on Northern European Plain 800 A.D. - Varangians (Scandinavian warriors) settled with Slavs that lived near the Dnieper and Volga rivers 800- 1200 A.D. (or somewhere during that time) - The Varangians took in the Slavian way and the Slavs got return Kievan Rus (loose union city-states) which were ruled by princes. Kiev (modern day capital of Ukraine) was practically the leader of city-states it controlled trading routes, and used the rivers on the western side of Russia to connect the Baltic and Black Sea. 1200-1400 A.D. - Mogols invaded the Slavic territory and ruled for 200 year. The princes of Muscovy had been the peacekeepers with the Mogols. Until Prince Ivan the third (Ivan the Great) came to power of Muscovy. He brought back the Slav territory (under his control) and built Kremlins which is for executive HQ today. 1547 A.D. - Ivan the fourth (Ivan the Terrible) became the first czar ever. And crushed anyone who opposed him. His kingdom borders into territory that wasn't even his in the first place. (After his ruling foreigners invaded, the economy plummeted, and social problems happened) 1613 A.D. - Romanov dynasty comes to power. 1650 A.D. - Most of the peasant became serfs (enslaved workforce bound to the land and under the control of nobility. Later in the 1600's- Peter the Great decided that Russia needed to be modernized so ports were built and trading was encouraged. In the late 1700's Empress Catherine the Great kept expanding the empire of Russia all the way to the Black Sea!

//Movements For Change// Mikhail Gorbachev tried to fix Russia's economy with the policy PERESTROKIA and GLASNOST(which is a policy of greater political openness), but FAILED. After the Soviet Union collapsed the Soviet Repubs. declared their independence (and that was how Russia was re-born again). The type of economy changed from command to market. But Russia has been bothered by separatist movement lately.

__Economy__
//Transportation & Communication// Transporting goods are mostly done by railroads and waterways rather than roadways Most of the pipeline fuel is transported through the western part of russia, but not the rest (which some republics are fight about the control on the pipelines) Transportation for people: trains, buses, subways, cars, and airplanes Communication: During the Soviet era state agencies checked all the printed and broadcast things didn't have anything against the government. But even after the fall of the Soviets the Kremlin has taken more control over their national TV networks. In telecommunication the cell phone service has increased (25% of the population use a cell phone) And 16.5% of the population use the internet. //Trade & Independence// Russia is the major source of energy and fuel (which is 53% of it's exports). And it's major trading partners are China and Japan. Russia is a member of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and World Trade Organization (WTO). Benefits from Untied Nations Security Council. Joined a European organizations that support security and cooperation. Russia settled conflicts and supported peace in other countries. Because of Russia's economic problem Russia can not assert itself internationally so much. The world organizations and other countries have been helping Russia with money. Russia is trying to make the work system safer. //Natural Resource// Petroleum Wood Fish Gas

__Global Issues__
When the Soviet Union was still in power they focused on industrialization instead of worrying about the environment. Some specific threats are toxic waste dump, airborne pollution, broken petroleum pipelines, overuse of fertilzers/pesticides,vehicle/industries emission, burning coal, and nuclear waste. One reason is Russia's supertrawlers it's causing the world's fish population to get smaller and smaller. Also factories' pipelines that are transporting oil and gas are going right through wilderness. And it's hurting the environment and creatures that are near the this pipelines. The president has put special orders to keep the pipelines away from the Lake Baikal. When the Russians dig out peat from bogs it releases a ton of methane into our atmosphere. Which contributes to Global Warming. The Soviet leader tried to solve this by improving nuclear safety standards, and shutdown dangerous plants.